Iron rest for ironing boards



April 20, 1954 A. B. STERNER 2,675,980

IRON REST FOR IRONING BOARDS Filed March 15, 1950 J2 Eli-:1-

23 Ilia;

' W 9 INVENT0R.

"78 .JZZQWB- 52677267 Patented Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to an iron rest for ironing boards adapted for supporting an electric or other iron when not in actual use.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and simple iron rest adapted to support an iron horizontally on the flat bottom thereof and which is provided with means to detachably engage and clamp the rest to the board at an edge thereof to support the iron over the ironing surface of the board.

Another object is to provide an iron rest comprising a plate shaped like the contour of the iron to support the iron thereon and having means to retain the iron and preclude slipping thereof ofi of the rest, and means at the bottom of the plate to clip the same to an edge of an ironing board in supporting position.

A still further object is to provide an iron rest of simple and economical construction embodyin an iron rest plate to receive the iron thereon above the board and covering thereof and a spring clam at the bottom of the plate to engage over the edge of the board and hold the rest plate in position as well as to dissipate the heat transferred to the plate from the hot iron and prevent scorching of the ironing board covering.

With the above and other object in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing, and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an iron rest embodying the invention in applied position for use,

Figure 2 i a side elevation of the rest as seen in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the rest.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the present iron rest comprises a flat plate ID of suitable metal or plastic of the same shape as the fiat bottom ironing surface of the iron to be supported. Plate It! is provided with a surrounding marginal upturned rim flange II within which the iron is adapted to rest on the plate Ii). The flange ll forms a retaining shoulder to keep the iron on the rest plate and preclude slipping thereof off of the rest.

The rest plate I!) may be pressed, molded or stamped from a single blank with the iron retaining shoulder forming flange I l preferably directed upwardly and outwardly at a slight angle obtuse to the plane of the plate. As indicated, the flange is relatively shallow or narrow with convexly curved sides converging to a point ,lgaat the apex or pointed end of the plate as with an iron. The rear wide edge portion H at the base end for the iron meets the convex sides l2 at the corners l5 forming a continuous stop flange around the entire edge of the plate to keep the iron in position thereon when at rest.

In order to detachably engage and clamp the rest to the board and covering thereof indicated by the phantom lines B in Figures 1, 2, and 4 of the drawings, a spring clamp I 6 is fixed on the bottom of the plate It (centrally of the area thereof) This clamp is formed from a second simple plate blank of springy metal or plastic stamped out to form a bracket portion H and a spring clamping jaw is. Bracket portion ll consists of a fiat jaw-forming body with a convex side edge [9 and its ends bifurcated with V-shaped recesses 28 to form pairs of tapered legs 2| at each end. These legs are each bent up from the body substantially at right angles but slightly outwardly at their end portions as at 22 and then outwardly as at 23 to form attaching feet 24 offset from the body plate in alignment in the same horizontal plane parallel to the body and plate if: to which they are fixed, to dispose the plate in spaced parallel relation to the body. This attachment may be effected by spot welds 25 for metal, or may be riveted, fused, or otherwise fastened for metal or plastic with flat and preferably countersunken heads where rivets or the like are used so that the top surface of plate It on which the iron rests is perfectly smooth and flat to prevent marring the ironing surface of the iron.

The other side edge of the body IT is formed centrally with a reduced lateral extension 2%; projecting out a slight distance in the plane body and then bent down on itself at right angles thereto as at 2'! to form an intermediate bight portion 28, in line with one side edge of plate iii. forming a closed end for the clamp l6 and to stand the device on edge in connection with the plate when not in use. The remaining end portion is again bent inwardly at right angles to bight portion 28 as at 25: to form the spring clamping jaw I 8 in spaced substantially parallel relation to plate I!) and body of the bracket. Jaw i8 is bowed upwardly from end to end to effect easy application over an edge of the covered ironing board B and tightly grip the same without damaging the fabric covering.

In use, the clamp is applied to a side or end edge of the board as shown in the drawings with the body of bracket H! at the top and jaw It at.

the bottom to firmly and detaohably clamp theboard between said jaw and the body of the bracket. This disposes the rest plate H] in spaced parallel relation to and above the body and top of the board B. In this position air circulates around the hot rest plate I6 which is heated by the hot iron thereon between ironings, and this tends to prevent overheating of the rest supplemented by the dissipation of the heat through and from the bracket and clamp jaw. The iron rests on the plate 1 Hand is retained from slipping off by the stop flange H. The device may rest on b ight 28 and edge of plate ID on the board or other support against a wall when not in use, or left clamped to the board at one sideor'th'e end edge thereof.

Several important advantages result from-the disclosed assemblage. For instance, the invention follows the general practice of having the iron pointed in contour in the advance zone of its direction of length and blunt in its trailing zone, butunlike the general practicexof locating the structure for-removably securingthe rest assemblage onto the ironing board as secured to the blunt endzone of the rest member (and thus projecting in the general direction of length of such rest member), thesupporting' formation of ie present inventionispositio-ned on the rest member in such manner that the weight factor of the positioned iron isdistributed over the "rest member with respect to the direction of length. of the iron, the supporting formation being spaced from both the pointed and the blunt end zones of the'iron, the=body zone of such formation extending transversely of the rest me .iber approximately in the niid zone of the length, being sufficiently displaced rearward from the exact mid pointtas-to-compensate for the difference in the weight conditions produced by the pointed and blunt end conditions. While this symmetry is varied in the transverse direction, the variation does not affectthe weight disposition, since the body zone l9 and the fingers 2'! all lie in a cornmonjplane which is also theplane of the top of the ironingboard, thus providing for the symmetrical distributioncf the weight of the iron.

This condition, plus .the shaping 1 of the-finger zones 2!, provides a secondadvantage through the extension of the fingericharacteristic intothe upstanding areas of the formation and are then bent outward, as at 23 to'form the finger end zones or the equivalent of spaced feet for securing the formation to the rest member it, .t -is arrangement being duplicated on the opposite sides or" thebody zone. I-Ience, the only-actual contact between member ID and the supporting formation is provided by these feet 24, and since they are spaced material distances apart and each is of fairiy small-extent, the-heatof thefeet developed through such contact, will be quickly dissipated due to the spacing provided by the upstanding areas of the finger zone, each *of which is of a vertical length such. 'asto provide the desired distance factor between the lower plane of therestmember and the top plane of the supporting formation body zone and within which space free "circulation of air is p'osslbleto thereby providefor rapidity indissipation of the heat, thus protecting the'to'p surface of the-ironing board. The distance factor between such planes is not sufiiciently large as to render the positioned iron top-heavy, but is sufficient -'to assure rapid heat dissipation between the planes, especially in view of the extensiverangepf the formation both longitudinally @and transiu-znself,

of the rest member that is produced by the particular arrangement of the body zone and the finger zones shown in the drawings and which places the major areas of the rest member and formation as located in such planes with the formation portions which connect such planes being of minimum areal extentand thus. capable of rapid heat dissipation.

Another important advantage is due to extending the clamp transversely of direction of length of the rest member in contrast with the usual practice of extending it in accord with such direction of lengthwith the latter the blunt end of the :iron becomes the outer end of the positioned iron; while there is no difficulty in "mounting the rest member on either the near or the .far-side of the ironing board as well as the end of the board with either type of rest member, the effect of such mounting differs in the two types. With the standard type the direction of length of 'theiron extends perpendicular to the length dimension of the edge of the board to which the rest member is secured; this permits ready positioning of the iron for its resting Ilocation both at the endof the board and onthe near side of theboard, but renders iron manipulation wholly unsatisfactory when the rest'is located at the far-side, since the pointed end of the iron is then directed toward the user and thus very inconvenient while the iron is being laced inposition or removed for service.

This difiiculty is avoided with the arrangement of the clamping. zone as extending transverse to the direction-of length of the iron, this change in direction placing the direction of length of the iron as parallel with the edge of the ironing board to which the rest member is secured, instead of normal or perpendicular'to such direction; 'as'a'result of "this change'the rest member can beconveniently'looated on either the near or the. far side .of the boardor atethe end, with the iron properly and efficiently manipulated in either .of such positions.

From'the above-detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the constnuction, use, and operation thereof will at :once be apparent, and while "there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of .the'invention, it is nevertheless to-be unders'toodithatminor changes may be.made thereinwithout-departing from the spirit and scope of 'theinvention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A removable iron rest for droning boards comprising :a horizontally extending iron-receiving sheetmetai member having its upper and lower faces contoured to approximate the contour of the bottom face of an iron, saidmember having an upstanding-marginal periphery of outwardly flaring type, and-a sheet metal support ing *formation therefor anchored "to the lower facecf the member, said formation-including an element contouredto present a bod-yportion having aifinger portion-on each of opposite sides of the 'body'portion and with each finger including an upstanding partand'ani end part positioned beyond'the upstanding nert and bent outwardly tosextend parallel wi'th and'bein secured relation with the lower face of the member, said upstanding :part being dimensioned to produce a'spaced relationofinaterial extent between-the plane of said formation body portion :-and the under side of the lower-face of the member-t0 form anopen heat-'dissipathig :spacing between said member and the bodyportion of the formation, said body portion projecting laterally beyond the adj acent finger portions and being bent downwardly and then in return direction transversely of said member to form an ironing board engaging element for removably securing the iron rest to the ironing board.

2. An iron rest as in claim 1 characterized in that the body portion of the Supportmg formation extends transversely of the member and cocupies a mid position with respect thereto in the formation, the finger portions of the formation projecting beyond such body portion and each being recessed toward the body portion with the recess of taper shape, each finger being completed by the upstanding part and the bent end part therebeyond adapted to be secured to the lower face of the rest member to thereby limit the contact between member and formation to 6 the spaced finger end parts and provide freedom of air circulation between the respective lower face of the rest member and such body portion of the formation and increase rapidity of heat dissipation for ironing board protection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 837,921 Fisher Dec. 11, 1906 1,565,295 Shipp Dec. 15, 1925 1,656,320 Crowder Jan. 17, 1928 1,966,036 Malamud July 10, 1934 2,434,225 Prior Jan. 6, 1948 2,473,731 Shepard June 21, 1949 2,555,873 Clark June 5, 1951 

